British tourists to Croatia on the rise

The country received a total of 241,443 Britons between January and August, a 23 per cent rise compared to the same period in 2011. The figure falls short of its record yearly total of 500,000 British visitors in 1990.

The Croatian tourism minister, Veljko Ostojic, predicted last week the country was set for a record-breaking year, based on the figures for the first eight months of 2012.

Croatia had a total of 9.82 million visitors for the year until the end August, a 4.22 per cent increase from 2011 during the same months. Holidaymakers stayed mostly on the Adriatic coast and the nation’s islands.

The tour operator Prestige Holidays also saw a 200 per cent increase in bookings to Croatia this year, with Dubrovnik being the most popular destination.

The country will also soon have new air routes: Jet2 flights to Pula in Istria from Leeds-Bradford will begin in May next year, while BA flights to Zagreb from London Heathrow re-start in December.